The game “Blackjack” or “21” is one of the most popular casino table games. Players enjoy the game since it offers fast action and a relatively low house advantage. Casinos offer the game due to its popularity and its dependable income. However, the proliferation of jurisdictions which allow gambling (and in particular card games), and the resulting number of casinos has created increased competition and a need for new games that generate interest and participation among casino patrons. As a result, casinos are constantly exploring new variations of blackjack with various side bets that increase player “action” while retaining or increasing the casino's overall advantage in order to generate incremental income. Many of these blackjack games involve side bets based on the total or partial hand values of the dealer or player, including game variations that include some sort of bust insurance option for the player such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,497 to Walker, et al. However, many proposed blackjack side bets only offer the player the prospect of long odds and limited options, making them unattractive bets and/or impractical for an average player's bankroll.
These drawbacks in previous blackjack side bets generally result in limited interest from casino operators, as either the odds of winning these side bets are too long for the player to play on a routine or on-going basis, or there is simply a lack of interest generated by the underlying concept behind the side bet. Therefore, there is a need for a blackjack game variation that offers side bets that are attractive to players and are within an average player's bankroll. Such side bets must also not impact the underlying structure of the game in manner which lessens the appeal of blackjack and must provide enough of a house advantage that it is economically accepted by the casinos. The present invention addresses these needs.